Voter referendum would give Brevard commissioners 70% pay raise.
Brevard County voters will be deciding on a proposed charter amendment to give county commissioners a $40,000 pay raise. The language that appears on the ballot does not directly say that commissioners will be receiving a substantial pay increase. Instead, the language focuses on the move to using the state formula for commission pay. The current salary for Brevard County commissioners is over $60,000. If the amendment is approved, the salary would increase to over $102,000. The current pay for Brevard commissioners trails neighboring counties. Indian River County, with a much smaller population, pays over $74,000 a year. Orange County, with double Brevard’s population, pays commissioners $113,000 annually.
Candidate for Titusville mayor accused of stealing opponent's campaign signs.
Titusville police have charged mayoral candidate Vickie Conklin with theft after she allegedly removed her opponent's campaign signs. The Titusville police chief says a citizen came forward with a photo. Conklin defended her action, saying signs supporting her opponent used her image and misspelled her name. The case has been handed over to the State Attorney’s Office, which has requested a criminal summons for Conklin on one count of theft valued at $300 or less.
Watering restrictions start this weekend.
The City of Melbourne reminds residents that lawn watering restrictions start this Sunday. If you use city water or have a well for irrigation, you’re limited to watering once a week until next March. Plants and grass need less water in the winter, and wasted water harms the Indian River Lagoon.
Florida Tech to boost research.
Florida Tech president John Nicklow says the university will boost research with new programs. The Office of Sponsored Research will benefit from a series of new programs, tools and leadership. Research expenditures at Florida Tech have hovered around $15 million annually for the past three years, but now are expected to grow.
Trump and Harris agree (on one thing).
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump agree on at least one thing. They have both endorsed Amendment 3, a proposal to legalize recreational pot for adults. The group behind the marijuana amendment is airing a statewide ad featuring both presidential candidates. The ad comes amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-amendment blitz.
Opioid trust fund board member addressed “the elephant in the room.”
At a meeting yesterday of the Florida opioid settlement trust fund, a board member addressed what he called “the elephant in the room.” He was referring to reports that opioid trust fund money was being used by the DeSantis administration to fight the recreational marijuana amendment. Lee Constantine, a member of the council, said that should not be one of the uses of the funds provided by big pharma to fight opioid addiction. News reports indicated that DeSantis has raided the opioid fund to help pay for television commercials to combat Amendment 3.
Ranking of halloween candy.
What is your favorite halloween candy? An analysis published by CandyStore.com found M&Ms was the most popular. It topped other candies for Halloween for the first time. Number two was Reese’s peanut butter cups, followed by Sour Patch Kids. My least favorite is any kind of licorice.
